Okowa Boosts Outstanding YAGEPreneurs, STEPreneurs Businesses With N37.5M

…Says His Successor Will Sustain Job And Wealth Creation Agenda, Responsible Leadership

By Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe

The first Hall of Fame of the Delta State Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurs Programme (YAGEP) and Skills Training and Entrepreneurship Programme, (STEP) was unveiled in Asaba, on Wednesday 3rd February, wherein seventy five persons including People With Disabilities, PWD, were handsomely rewarded by the state governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa.

These individuals have to a large extent excelled in their small and medium scale businesses after graduating from the STEP and YAGEP programmes sponsored by Okowa administration.

They are doing well in Fashion designing, cosmetics/cosmetology, event management/make over, media production/online digital marketing, Poultry/Pig farming, Cassava/Gari Production, Interlocking, catering services, ICT and several others.

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Elated Governor Okowa said the job and wealth creation programme remained the prime pet project of his administration, and expressed deep appreciation to the youth for tapping into the various opportunities provided by government to become employers of labour and for taking a step further to create value chains for their products and services.

As for the seventy five outstanding Yagepreneurs and Stepreneurs, the governor announced a total sum of N37.5 million special incentives of N500,000 per member of the Hall of Fame, to enable them boost their businesses, and to encourage them to take their dreams of becoming big time entrepreneurs to the next level.

He commended the programmes content designers and brain box; Prof Eric Eboh, who is also the Director General of Delta State Bureau for Job and Wealth Creation, Dr Kinglsey Emu, Rt Hon Festus Ovie Agas and Deputy Governor of Central Bank, Hon Kingsley Obiora, for their selfless service in ensuring that the programmes succeeded till now and still counting.

Governor Okowa assured the youth that his successor will sustain the various youth skills acquisition and empowerment programmes, noting that it is only an irresponsible governor that would abandon or outrightly cancel YAGEP, STEP, RYSA programmes.

He further assured that Delta State have not and will not now or in the future produce irresponsible governor, not in 2023, adding that his successor will certainly not be an irresponsible governor.

The governor berated his detractors and charged them to let their consciences guide their statements, adding that the remarkable and enviable achievements of his administration are in prints, well documented, profiled, verifiable and visible for all Deltans to see.

Speaking earlier, the DG of Job and Wealth Creation Bureau, Prof Eboh said the 2020/2021 graduating 1,000 YAGEP and STEP beneficiaries have been issued starter packs, rent support and cash as take off grants, making a total of 6,074 beneficiaries from 2015 till date and still counting.

He revealed that job creation in the state also entails focusing on; agricultural reforms and accelerated industrialisation, strategic wealth creation, transformed environment, meaningful peace building platforms, relevant health and education policies.

Eboh further asserted that STEP and YAGEP hall of fame is an informative and promotional tool designed to recognize, congratulate and project outstanding STEPreneurs and YAGEPreneurs, adding that this year’s hall of fame series was to inspire and energize the persons profiled, 75 of them, and possibly encourage them through provision of special incentives.

Yagep and Step dancers and choir thrilled the governor and audience, and were also rewarded for their commitments and strength of unity, talents and showmanship exhibited at the ceremony held at the State Event Centre on Wednesday.

Top government functionaries attended the unuque and classy ceremony which include; the deputy governor, Barr Kingsley Otuaro, Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly ably represented by his deputy, Rt Hon Christopher Ochor, some members of the State House of Assembly, members of the state executive council, the Head of Service, Reginald Bayiko, JP, mni.

Other dignitaries are; the Chief of Staff, Rt Hon Fesus Ovie Agas, traditional rulers led by the Chairman of Delta State Council of Traditional Rulers, His Imperial Majesty, the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom and host of other dignitaries.